Thursday was a day off but the team's day was action packed.
It day began with practice for the 11- to 13-year-old boys after two straight wins in the Intermediate Little League World Series.
Thursday was their bye day, a time to relax and mentally prepare for a tough game Friday against California's District 57 team.
After throwing the ball around and catching pop ups from their coaches, it was time to carb-load. During the team's lunch, some of the kids showed off their Little League World Series hairdos. Some players got Mohawks before coming to California for the series, and others decided to take it to the next level, with numbers and even "P-O-L-L" for Post Oak Little League shaved into their hair.
"When we made it to the Little League World Series, we said 'Oh, we'll get southwest on the side of our heads to represent our region, so that's what we did," pitcher Robert McHenry said. "People are saying they're pretty nice because they're like bubble letters and they're pretty defines so it's cool."
The hair styles were not the only thing the were flaunting out there; they were also showing off their team pin. The team took part in the time-honored baseball tradition of pin trading with people from other states and other countries.
"There are some older guys here who have been collecting pins for a long time so we just trade them our pins for their pins," player Ben Vaughn said.
Long after that hair grows out, the collections will remind them of what they did here in California.
Then late Thursday, the team received more inspiration: a video message from Mark Appel, the Astros No. 1 draft pick and a former Post Oak player.
"I just want to really encourage you guys to go out there, have fun and just really give it your all," Appel says in the video.
The video meant a lot to the players.
"It's very exciting and he really thinks we can win this whole tournament, and he wished us good luck," pitcher Andrew Alvarez said.
"It meant a lot from a fellow kid on Post Oak now he plays on the Astros, so it just means a lot to us that he would do that," pitcher Blake Fertitta said.
Appel said some of his best memories are from his Little League days.
"Some of those guys on that team are some of my best friends to this day," Appel says in the video.
The players say that's exactly how they feel about their teammates.
"We all support each other. Even if someone has a bad hit or makes an error, we just tell them to just forget it," third baseman Hill Johnson said.
ABC13 Reporter Katie McCall is following the team out in California. Look for reports from her on Eyewitness News.
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